Marie Clay’s literacy processing theory is multifaceted and complex, and thus, misunderstandings may occur when extracting partial information from any of Clay’s writings. This appears to be the key to explaining the recurring – and completely false – assertion that Clay’s instructional procedures do not include phonics and that Clay considered phonics nonsense.  In fact, Clay did use the word ‘nonsense’ followed by the word ‘phonics’ in The Early Detection of Reading Difficulties (See Clay, 1979, p.7).  However, to present this as proof that she considered phonics unnecessary is inaccurate.  Following is the complete story of Clay’s use of the term ‘nonsense,’ and the importance assigned to phonics, one component of the literacy processing system.

At the place in the 1979 text where this word, ‘nonsense,’ is found, Clay is reflecting on two alternative approaches to beginning reading instruction.  One approach, the look-say method, was based solely on building the child’s stock of known words (sight words) recognized instantly.  The second approach, the phonics method, focused on helping the child to identify sounds of single letters and letter clusters and blending sounds into words.  These two very different approaches to beginning reading were implemented widely in schools at one time.  Critics, unassociated with Clay, found both approaches lacking.

 

Look-Say Approach to Beginning Reading

First, in considering the Look-Say method, the assumption that the acquisition of a large sight vocabulary was the entrée to proficient reading was found faulty.  Reading with understanding requires more than instant word recognition.  As a brief example, we expect that a first-grade reader will recognize the words ‘is,’ ‘or,’ ‘not,’ ‘to,’ and ‘be’ instantly and correctly.  However, the interpretation of the statement, ‘To be or not to be,’ will elude the young learner.  Reading with comprehension is more demanding than identifying sight words.

 

Phonics Approach to Beginning Reading

The phonics approach to beginning reading was focused on instruction building the learner’s knowledge of both letter-sound associations and sounding-out abilities needed to decode and recognize new words.  The phonics curriculum offered an extensive number of rules, presented in what was considered an appropriate sequence, with ample practice of each new rule.  The curriculum was organized to proceed from the easiest rules to more complex rules for identifying sounds and blending sounds to pronounce words.  Again, the goal of the phonics approach was mastery of word recognition skills, and learners did acquire the rules.  However, as with the look-say method,  the effectiveness of the phonics method in supporting a learner’s comprehension was questioned.  For example, following a year of instruction, a young reader would be expected to decode the words ‘bark,’ ‘rig,’ ‘main’ and ‘mast’ successfully; however, this would not ensure understanding of the statement: ‘The fore- and main-masts on this bark are rigged square.’  Reading for meaning requires more than using phonics rules to decode words.

 

An Alternative View

Clay’s assessment of these instructional approaches resulted from her study of the reading behaviors of beginning readers.  She focused on learning, describing the emerging and changing literacy behaviors of children making proficient progress in reading and writing.  She discovered that even as beginners, those readers making good progress were aware of and attentive to multiple aspects of printed language, i.e., they used many sources of information to read for meaning.  The sources of information they attended to were:

1. The message, or meaning,
2. sentence structures of written language,
3. rules regarding the order of ideas, words, and letters,
4. familiar words used often in the language,
5. the alphabet, letters in words (alphabetic principle),
6. knowledge about books and literary experiences,
7. knowledge of how the world works.
   • • Clay, 1979, 2019

 

Evidence from Proficient Readers

Clay’s proficient readers attended closely to the print, scanning each letter in a word in serial order (left to right) and each word in text (#4 and #5 above) and combined that information with “information they carry in their heads from their past experiences with language” and their world (Clay, 2019, p. 14) (# 2, 3, 6, 7).  The proficient young reader integrates information from all available sources, monitors the reading, and self-corrects when errors distort meaning.  Clay was clear that command of sight words and knowledge of letter-sound relationships and proficient sounding and blending abilities are essential; however, neither is a sufficient explanation of the processing the capable young mind achieves while reading for meaning.  Therefore, to base an instructional program, or a remedial program, on either of these single components (sight words or phonics) is an oversimplification.   Thus Clay’s (1979) statement: “Such an analysis makes the terms ‘look and say’ or ‘sight words’ or ‘phonics’ nonsense as explanations of what we need to know or do in order to be able to read” (p. 7).

Oversimplified approaches to beginning reading instruction are what Clay calls ‘nonsense’ (1979, 2019).

Clay’s (2001) theory of literacy processing and instructional procedures to support the learner’s acquisition of an effective processing system does not ignore the need for both an ever-expanding sight vocabulary and efficient phonics skills.  Notice that following her critique of look-say and phonics approaches and her term ‘nonsense’ to describe them, she references the reader’s important reliance on such print information saying:

The high progress six-year-old has several ways of functioning according to the type of reading material or the difficulty level of the material.  If he cannot get the meaning with fast recall of known words he shifts to using slower analyses of words, letter clusters and letters.  If the first things he notices are some letters, he makes some letter-to-sound links to solve the words which become chunked in phrases to get to messages.  He uses the words he knows to get to new words and he will also use his knowledge of letter clusters or letter-sound associations to unpick new words.  .  .   .  Throughout this entire flexible process, the competent reader manages to stay focused on the messages conveyed by the text while unpicking the detailed information stored in the print on the page.   

Clay, 2019, p. 15

 

Low Progress Readers

In contrast, Clay observed that low progress readers used a narrow set of ineffective processes.  These included relying on memory of the book, limited attention to print details (letters and words), and guessing based on limited information, for example using only the first letter of a word.   To address these inadequacies, Clay designed instructional procedures that incorporate specific attention to building fast and efficient word analysis skills in isolation, in writing stories, and during text reading, the goal of phonics instruction.  These procedures involve multisensory and systematic techniques to teach words, the alphabet, clusters of letters, letter-sound associations, and features of letters.   The end goal for the learner is the acquisition of a processing system that involves all language and print knowledge sources, including story structure, language structure, words and word structure, letter-sound relationships, letters, and features of letters.  Thus, sight words and phonics, while essential, involve a singular focus on item learning (e.g., sight words) and skills related to attacking, or decoding, new words (phonics).  Each of these approaches, which reflect a limited theory of reading and learning to read, is only one component of a complex literacy processing system.

 

A Complex Approach for Struggling Readers

Clay (2001) rejected simplistic approaches to instruction for those first-grade children struggling to acquire beginning reading and stated:  “I am certain that a view of complexity is the kind of understanding required to deliver results in an early intervention programme aiming to prevent subsequent literacy difficulties in as many children as possible (p.138).  Nonsense is a critical term; but, to ensure that struggling learners become proficient readers ready to benefit from their classroom literacy programs, they deserve sensible instruction supporting their acquisition of complex literacy processing systems.

 

References

Clay, M. M. (1979). The early detection of reading difficulties. Second edition. Heinemann.
Clay, M. M. (2001).  Change over time in children’s literacy development.  Heinemann.
Clay, M. M. (2019). An observation survey of early literacy achievement. 4^th edition. Global Education Systems (GES) Ltd.